Autonomous systems may monitor various aspects of a vehicle such as, but not limited to, vehicle speed, the surrounding environment, weather conditions, and the manipulation of any system by a driver (e.g., the degree to which a driver may turn the steering wheel or press upon a brake). Another aspect the autonomous system may monitor is the driver's face. More specifically, the driver's face may be monitored to detect characteristics such as gaze direction, mental state, emotion, identity, and the like. A single camera or other image sensor may be provided to monitor the driver's face, and a vehicle computer may determine information based on data captured by the cameras.
Sometimes conventional cameras may not be able to monitor a portion or all of the driver's face, which may affect the ability of the system to determine characteristics such as emotion, gaze direction, and the like. For example, a driver may move his or her hands in a direction and unintentionally occlude the camera for a few moments. Other components of the vehicle such as the steering wheel, dashboard, or rear view mirror may also occlude the camera as well. In another example, the camera may be unable to view a portion of the driver's face. For instance, facial features such as the driver's eyes or mouth may not be captured by the camera for reasons such as vantage point or due to insufficient lighting. Furthermore, the system may not be able to determine gaze direction if the driver's eyes are not visible. The system may be unable to determine some types of emotions if the driver's eyes or mouth are not visible.